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MINING  AND  OTHER  RESOURCES 

OF 

EUREKA  COUNTY,  NEVADA 


PRESENTED  TO  THE 

AMERICAN   MINING  CONGRESS 

GOLDFIELD.  NEVADA 

SEPTEMBER  27.  1909 


COPYRIGHT.    1 


Eureka,  Nevada,  in  1908,  looking  Southwest 


£9"! 


I    N     T    R     ODUCTORY 

HIS  BOOKLET  is  intended,  by  statistical  facts  and  other  truths,  to  favorably 
impress,  if  not  convince,  the  reader  that  a  'arge  portion  of  the  land  within  the 
borders  of  Eureka  County  is  most  fertile,  capable  of  producing  all  the  cereals 
and  substantial  vegetables,  w^hile  her  valleys  and  canyons  send  forth  in  due  time 
an  abundance  of  nutritious  grasses  (indigenous  to  the  soil)  over  and  upon  which 
the  horse,  the  ox  and  sheep  roam,  feed  and  fatten  without  restriction.  Besides, 
and  of  greater  monetary  importance,  her  mountains  are  heavily  mineralized,  await- 
ing onlj'^  the  brain  and  hand  of  man  to  bring  forth  their  metals  (gold,  silver,  lead, 
copper,  zinc  and  iron)   to  light,  usefulness  and  profit. 

Since  Eureka  County  became  an  integral  part  of  the  State,  her  years  have  been 
as  changeful  as  the  changeful  moon  that  each  night  varies.  Adversity  and  prosperity  have  alter- 
nately filled  her  cup,  and  her  citizens  have  ever  drunk  the  draught  of  bitterness  with  complaisance, 
patience,  and  gracious  submission,  believing,  ''without  doubt  in  his  heart",  that  the  treasures 
of  her  mountains  will  sooner  or  later  give  to  them  plenty,  happiness,  and  contentment,  even  unto 
satiety. 

The  demonetization  of  silver,  low  market  va'ue  of  lead,  railroad  oppressions",  legal  contro- 
versies, and  personal  enmity  between  the  principal  owners,  all  combined,  soon  led  to  a  cessa- 
tion of  work  and  further  development  of  her  mines.  The  drill  and  hammer  were  laid  aside,  the 
blast  was  no  longer  heard,  the  fumes'  of  the  furnaces  ceased,  and  Eureka  quietly  passed  into 
a    state    of    lethargy    until    awakened    about    three  years  ago  by  new  and  enterprising  men. 

Reduction  in  freights  and  improved  machinery  NOW  permit  ten-dollar  ore  to  be  reduced 
at  a  profit,  while  prior  to  the  year  1906  ore  of  less  vahie  than  twenty  dollars  would  not  yield 
to    the    owner,    compensation    for    his    labors. 

The   statistical   facts   and   reports   herewith    submitted  are   not   to  ensnare  the   people,  but  for 
their    just     consideration,    judgment,     and     subsequent  action.     If  true,  confirm;    if  false,  condemn. 
Come!     See  and  judge. 


PHOTO.    C.    H.    GORMAN 


Lava  Beds,  Ruby  Hill,  Nevada.    Outcropplngs  where  Eureka  Mining  District  was  first  discovered 


The    Mining   Resources    of  Eureko.    County,   Nevada 


HE  County  of  Eureka  occupies  that  portion  of  ihe  State  of  Nevada  lying  north- 
westerly of  its  geographical  center.  It  lies  between  the  parallels  of  39  degrees  10 
minutes  and  41  seconds  and  between  the  meridians  of  115  degrees  45  minutes  and 
116  degrees  35  minutes  west  of  Greenwich.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Elko 
County,  on  the  east  by  Elko  and  White  Pine  Counties,  on  the  south  by  Nye  County, 
and  on  the  west  by  Lander  County. 

The  Humboldt  River,  with  a  general  westerly  course,  flows  through  the  north- 
ern   portion    of    the    County.     Maggie   Creek   empties   into   the   Humboldt   from   the 
north   and   Pine    Creek   from   the    south.     Fish  Creek  rises  in  the  southwestern  por- 
tion of  the   County  and  flows  in   an   easterly   direction,   where   it   sinks.     There   are 
also   several   minor   streams,  fed   by   the   mountain    springs,    which    sink    a    few    miles    from    their 
source. 

The  Sulphur  range  of  mountains  lies  partly  within  the  county  and  along  its  western  bound- 
ary, extending  from  the  Humboldt  River  on  the  north  to  the  Nye  County  line  on  the  south. 
On  the  east  of  the  County  lies  the  Diamond  Range  which,  diverging  southwesterly  at  its  south- 
ern extremity,  crosses  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  County. 

Eureka  County  lies  entirely  in  the  Great  Basin,  and  its  surface  is  divided  between  great 
mountains    and    valleys.     The    former    are    pregnant    with    mineral    veins    and    deposits    of    gold, 

—  7^ 


COPYRIGHT,    1»09.    BY    C.    H.    GORMAN 


Eureka,  Nevada,  looking  West 


silver  and  lead,  copper,  antimony,  zinc,  etc.  The  gold  and  silver-lead  deposits  have  been  mined 
extensively;  the  copper  and  antimony  are  abundant,  and  zinc  but  little  attention  has  been 
paid   to,   but   there   are   well-known   veins   and    deposits. 

Sulphur,  niter,  salt,  borax,  soda  and  other  minerals  of  economic  value  are  abundant  in  the 
County;  but  as  little  or  no  attention  has  been  given  them,  their  extent  cannot  at  present  be 
estimated.  Bituminous  slate,  gypsum  and  kaolin  are  known  to  exist  in  the  County,  but  have 
received  nothing  more  than  passing  attention.  The  question  of  value  of  many  of  those  minerals 
is   involved  in   that   of  future   transportation   facilities. 

The  valleys  are  mostly  arid,  but  where  irrigation  is  applied  the  soil  will  produce  an  average 
of  forty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre,  and  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre  have  been  harvested  in  the 
richer  soil.  Barley  and  oats  have  been  raised  in  considerable  quantities  for  home  consumption. 
Alfalfa  grows  luxuriantly,  and  two  crops  harvested  during  the  year  will  cut  from  three  to  five 
tons  to  the  acre.  Good  crops  are  cut  in  the  Humboldt  Bottom  and  in  Pine  and  Fish  Creek 
Valleys.  There  are  a  number  of  small  farms  watered  from  the  mountain  springs'  that  yield 
good  crops  of  hay,  barley,  oats,  fruit  and  vegetables  of  extraordinary  fine  quality  and  flavor. 
Both  the  mountains  and  valleys  afford  good  pasturage  in  winter  and  summer  alike,  with  only 
occasional  unfavorable  seasons,  there  being  an  abundance  of  bunch  and  other  natural  grasses  m 
the  mountains  and  white  sage  in  the  valleys.  Stock  raising  is  a  permanent  industry  out  of 
which  a  number  of  persons  have  become  rich,  the  climate  and  extent  of  the  ranges  being  exceed- 
ingly favorable.  Game  is  not  abundant,  but  wild  rabbits,  grouse,  sage  fowls,  doves,  etc.,  breed 
enough  to  afford  good  sporting.  Several  of  the  streams  are  full  of  trout  and  German  carp  (the 
latter  imported),  and  the  Humboldt  River  affords  fine  fishing  for  splendid  mountain  trout  and 
imported  catfish.  Timber  of  various  species  may  be  cultivated.  Cottonwood  trees  of  natural 
growth  are  found  along  the  river  bottoms,  and  dwarf  cedar,  nut  pine  and  mountain  mahogany  are 
plentiful   in   the   mountains   and   foot   hills.     Wild  flowers  and  medicinal  herbs  grow  in  profusion. 

—  9  — 


The  average  elevation  of  the  valleys  above  sea  level  is  about  6,000  feet.  Prominent  moun- 
tain peaks  arise  above  the  valleys  from  2,500  to  4,600  feet. 

In  1878  the  population  of  the  County  numbered  7,896  souls,  6,581  of  whom  vi^ere  residents 
at  Eureka,  the  County  seat,  and  Ruby  Hill,  the  center  of  mining  operations  in  Eureka  County. 
The  average  quotation  of  silver  in  New  York  that  year  was  $1,152  per  ounce.  Since  that  year 
corresponding  with  the  decline  of  silver,  mining  and  metalurgical  operations  have  steadily 
diminished,  and  the  population  of  the  County  is  reduced    accordingly. 

EUREKA   MINING  DISTRICT 

The  Eureka  Mining  District  is  situated  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  County,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Diamond  range  of  mountains.  The  town  of  Eureka,  from  which  the  miners  and 
farmers  within  a  radius  of  twenty-five  miles  draw  their  supplies,  is  connected  by  the  Eureka 
and  Palisade  Narrow-Gauge  Railroad  with  Palisade,  a  town  on  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad, 
eighty-eight  miles  distant  as  traveled.  The  town  of  Eureka  lies  at  an  altitude  of  6,500  feet 
above  sea-level,  in  a  canyon,  which,  following  a  northerly  course,  enters  Diamond  Valley  six  miles 
distant. 

Ruby  Hill,  which  gives  its  name  to  the  town  in  that  locality,  is  distant  about  two  miles  to 
the  westward.  There  are  situated  the  Richmond,  Eureka  Consolidated  and  Jackson  mines,  which 
through  their  large  production  of  gold,  silver  and  lead,  have  given  to  Eureka  District  a  world- 
wide notoriety.  While  they  have  been  the  most  extensively  developed,  they  are  by  no  means 
the  only  productive  and  profitable  mines  in  the  district,  but  they  have  given  the  best  returns 
for  invested  capital. 

The  Richmond  Consolidated  and  Eureka  Consolidated  Mining  Companies,  in  addition  to  large 
and   valuable   hoisting   and   reduction   works,   have  spent  immense  sums  of  money  in  litigation  over 

—  11  — 


Ill    f  C  f 


COPYRIGHT,    190e,    BY    C      H.    GORMAN 


Hotel  Zadow  and  Annex 


disputed  boundaries,  'representing  in  all,  millions  of  dollars,  yet  their  combined  dividends  have 
reached   and   passed  the  ten-million   dollar  mark. 

The  smaller  mines  of  the  district,  several  of  which  upon  the  investment  of  the  necessary- 
amount  of  capital  for  exploration,  may  prove  to  be  as  good  as  those  of  Ruby  Hill,  have  here- 
tofore been  seriously  affected  by  drawbacks  in  the  sale  and  treatment  of  the  ores'  produced,  and 
having  been  yet  more  seriously  affected  by  the  downward  course  of  silver,  their  development 
has  been  very  much  retarded.  Today  the  low  prices  of  silver  and  lead  remain  the  principal 
impediments.  The  scientific  progress  in  the  methods  of  reducing  ores  would  now  operate  effec- 
tively in   Eureka  District  if  the  normal  values  of  those  metals   were   restored. 

But  little  is  known  of  the  future  possibilities  of  the  Ruby  Hill  mines  below  what  is  called 
the  water  level,  yet  ore  has  been  found  at  the  lowest  depths  yet  attained.  There  is  ample 
evidence  of  its  continuation  downward,  as  also  of  a  change  in  its  chemical  composition  where  it 
is  affected  by  water.  The  development  of  deeper  ore  bodies  will  depend  upon  the  amount  of 
capital  to  be  employed  in  the  future,  and  possibly  upon  the  joint  exploration  of  all  of  the  com- 
panies interested  in  that  locality.  The  deepest  place  in  Ruby  Hill  where  ore  has  been  mined 
and  brought  to  the  surface  in  shipping  quantities  is  about  the  1400-ft.  level  of  the  Eureka  Con. 
mine,  where  the  dip  of  the  lode  carried  the  workings  so  far  to  the  eastward  that  it  became  neces- 
sary to  sink  a  new  shaft.  The  Locan  shaft,  equipped  with  a  new  and  powerful  engine,  and 
huge  hydraulic  pump,  was  sunk  from  a  point  east  of  the  lode  and  about  200  feet  lower  altitude 
than  the  top  of  the  Lawton  shaft,  which  has  been  used  as  the  main  working  shaft  upon  the 
property.  The  Locan  shaft  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  1,250  feet  and  at  the  respective  depths  of  600 
and  1,200  feet  crosscuts  were  driven  to  intersect  the  lode.  The  lower  crosscut  intersected  a 
vein  of  ore  three  or  four  feet  in  thickness  at  about  160  feet  lower  in  main  depth  than  ore  had 
ever  been  encountered  before  in  the  hill,  and  it  is  still  making  on  a  downward  pitch. 

The  crosscut  was  continued  through  the  lode  and  penetrated  the  quartzite  foot  wall  about 
three   feet   when    water   came    in    with    such   force  that  the  miners  had  barely  time  to  get  to  the 

—  13  — 


PHOTO,    C.     H.    GOBMAN  -,,,-,  1  /-.  J. 

High  School  and  Catholic  Church.     This  High  School  is  now  supported  by  Eureka  County 


station  and  signal  the  engineer  to  hoist  them  above  the  danger  line.  The  engine  on  the  shaft 
had  not  the  capacity'  to  keep  the  pumps  running  and  to  lift  the  water  and  waste  rock  to  the 
surface,  so  it  had  to  be  replaced  with  a  new  one.  That  also  failed  in  its  requirements,  through 
the  failure  to  have  the  working  pump  in  complete  order  at  the  1200-ft.  station  and  the  inability 
of  the  lifting  pump  to  raise  the  water  in  the  volume  required.  Work  upon  the  Locan  shaft, 
as  also  upon  the  levels  below  the  water  line  in  the  old  workings,  was  then  suspended.  No 
attempt  has  since  been  made  to  drain  the  main,  or  to  work  be'ow  the  water  level. 

The  future  of  Ruby  Hill  below  the  1200-foot  level  of  the  Locan  shaft  can  only  be  deter- 
mined by  deeper  exploration,  which  will  not  probably  be  considered  until  after  the  settlement  of 
the  question  of  bimetallism,  when  the  owners  may  feel  justified  in   resuming  active  operations. 

Miners  continue  to  tribute  in  the  old  workings  of  the  Ruby  Hill  mines  wheresoever  they 
can  find  paying  ore,  or  believe  the  chances  are  good  to  make  a  little  money.  There  are  numer- 
ous acres  of  unexplored  ground  in  them  above  the  so-called  water  level,  but  the  companies 
do  not  feel  disposed  to  employ  miners  for  day's  pay  at  present,  and  probably  will  not  do  so 
until  the  market  values  of  silver  and  lead  are  permanently   restored   to    their   former   status. 

The  actual  water  level  on  the  Ruby  Hill  lode,  or  ore-bearing  zone  of  limestone,  has  never 
been  determined.  Wherever  water  has  been  encountered  it  has  come  from  seepage  from  the 
surface,  from  sweat  of  the  rocks  and  percolation  through  the  seams,  and  also  from  th'.  shale  in 
the  hanging  wall  and  quartzite  in  the  foot  wall,  in  places  where  those  formations  have  been 
penetrated  by  drifting,  etc. 

Miners  are  of  the  general  opinion  that  Ruby  Hill  contains  more  ore  than  has'  ever  been 
taken  out  of  it,  and  that  whenever  the  companies  interested  will  renew  active  operation  on  an 
adequate  scale  they  will  find  it.  This  expression  of  opinion  is  gained  from  practical  experience  and 
derived   from   the   general   condition   shown   on   the   dip   of  the  lode. 

Mr.  Clarence  King,  the  eminent  geologist,  who  formerly  had  the  charge  and  management 
of    the    Richmond    mine,    entertains    theories   based  upon  practical  and  familiar  knowledge  of  the 

—  IS  — 


COPYRIGHT,    1SOS,    BY  C.    H.    GORMAN 


Brown  Hotel  and  Opera  House 


physical  and  other  conditions  of  the  Ruby  Hill  lode.  His  opinions  not  only  coincide  with  those  of 
other  practical  miners,  but  have  been  so  freely  and  lucidly  expressed  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  they 
are  also  based  on  close  observation  and  sound  reasoning.  The  writer  twice  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  him,  and  knows  that  he  has  abiding  faith  in  the  ore-bearing  stability  of  the  Ruby 
Hill  lode  below  the  water  level.  He  was  of  the  opinion  that  exploration  should  be  carried  to 
a  further  depth  of  1,000  feet,  or  thereabouts,  and  that  there  is  no  geological  reason  why  ore  should 
not  be  found  if  such  work  were  done.  He  had  not  the  least  doubt  that  ore  would  be  found 
below  the  water  level  in  as  valuable  quantities  as  it  was  found  above,  but  thought  it  would  be 
more  concentrated,  and  that  in  place  of  oxidized  ore,  more  or  less  mixed  with  limerock,  gold- 
bearing  arsenical  pyrites  and  silver-bearing  galena  would  be  found  in  more  compact  form,  and 
hence  richer  than  that  which  the  lode  had  yielded  above  the  water  level.  He  said  he  regarded 
Eureka  as  being  a  gold-bearing  camp,  in  as  much  as  he  placed  the  profits  that  had  arisen  from 
the  mines  to   the   production   of  that  metal. 

The  Richmond  Company  had  been  prospecting  with  diamond  drills.  Mr.  King  approved  of 
the  drill  work,  but  did  not  consider  a  negative  result  would  be  conclusive.  He  said:  "Should 
the  drill  cores  fail  to  indicate  the  presence  of  new  ore  bodies  or  the  downward  continuation  of 
the  vein,  I  would  not  hesitate  to  recommend  the  employment  of  sufficient  capital  to  sink  and 
explore  the  ground  by  actual  drifting."  Mr.  King's  opinions,  as  above  quoted,  were  fully 
borne  out  by  those  of  the  late  Henry  ("Hank")  Donnelly,  formerly  Superintendent  of  the 
Eureka  Con.  mine,  who  frequently  asserted  that  a  negative  result  in  prospecting  with  the 
diamond  drills,  through  the  Ruby  Hill  limestone,  would  not  satisfy  him  that  ore  could  not  be 
found  by  sinking  or  drifting  through  it  in  the  ordinary  manner.  The  soundness  of  his  opinion 
was   subsequently  demonstrated  by  the  disclosure  on  the  Locan  shaft,  1,200-ft.  level. 

There  are  a  large  number  of  mines  in  Eureka  District  that  have  undergone  partial  develop- 
ment, and  some  of  them  are  still  under  a  slow  process  of  exploration,  the  means  of  the  owners 
being  at  present  too  limited  to  admit  of  more  extended    operations.     Although    in    earlier    days, 

—  17  — 


COPYRIGHT,    ie08,    BY    C.   H.    GORMAN 


Ruby  Hill.  Nevada 


when  a  reckless  spirit  pervaded  the  community,  deposits  of  very  rich  ore  were  tound  at  or  near 
the  grass  roots,  the  money  that  was  derived  from  ^the  most  of  them  was  squandered;  and  now 
that  deeper  workings  are  needed  to  mine  the  underlying  deposits  the  means  are  not  at  hand  to 
reach  them;  so  the  operations  are  principally  confined  to  the  places  of  most  promise  at  or  near 
the   surface. 

There  are  large  bodies  of  low-grade  ore  remaining  uncovered  or  partially  developed  in  the 
mines,  but  they  are  unremunerative  under  the  low  prices  of  silver  and  lead  that  have  recently 
prevailed  and  the  more  primitive  manner  of  exploration — the  only  system  that  can  be  employed 
by  the  poorer  classes  of  miners.  There  are  also  large  deposits  of  low-grade  material  left  in  the 
Ruby  Hill  mines,  which  could  be  profitably  mined  if  silver  were  restored  to  its  old  value.  On 
the  other  hand,  to  mine  the  deeper  deposits  in  the  smaller  properties  of  the  district,  deep 
shafts  and  long  tunnels'  with  lateral  drifts  are  required;  but,  to  justify  such  extensive  explora- 
tions, the  consolidation  of  various  groups  of  claims  would  be  advisable,  for  the  work  would 
require  the  outlay  of  considerable  moiiey.  As  an  example,  the  Diamond  mine  may  be  quoted 
for  illustration.  This  group  of  claims  had  been  worked  for  several  years  with  indifferent  suc- 
cess. The  Diamond  claim  was  opened  in  a  new  place  and  disclosed  a  large  body  of  ore, 
but,  in  order  to  mine  it  to  advantage  and  profit,  deep  workings  were  required.  The  mine  was 
bonded  to  'Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  capitalists,  who,  after  satisfying  themselves,  by  a  preliminary 
line  of  exploration,  of  its'  merits,  purchased  it  for  $60,000.  They  then  employed  the  requisite 
machinery,  drove  a  tunnel  1,500  feet  into  the  mountain,  and  inaugurated  an  extensive  line  of 
exploration.  The  developments  were  so  satisfactory  that  they  purchased  several  contiguous 
claims.  Up  to  the  time  the  first  bond  was'  executed  the  Diamond  mine  had  not  yie-ded  ore 
to  exceed  the  value  of  $10,000;  but  under  active  exploration  and  deep  mining  it  has  produced 
ore  to  the  amount  of  a  million  dollars — that  being  the  value  of  the  bullion  sold  in  excess  of 
the  cost  of  extraction  and  reduction  of  the  ore,  the   net  value. 

—  19  — 


In  the  good  times  of  the  district,  before  the  efifects  of  the  demonetization  of  silver  were 
felt  in  the  community,  three  separate  local  ^terprises,  the  Prospect  Mountain,  Eureka  and  Ruby 
Hill  Tunnel  Companies,  were  organized  for  the  exp'oration  of  Prospect  Mountain  but  in  the 
same  ratio  that  silver  depreciated,  so  did  the  fortunes  of  the  shareholders,  and  work  upon  them 
was  practically  suspended.  The  Prospect  Mountain  tunnel  was  driven  in  2360  feet,  penetrating 
the  mountain  from  the  west  side,  just  above  the  level  of  Diamond  Valley.  Lateral  explorations 
were  conducted  at  a  depth  of  850  feet  below  the  surface  with  paying  results,  and  the  principal 
product  was  gold.  Operations  were  suspended,  pending  the  settlement  of  certain  surface  rights, 
but  may  be  resumed  at  any  time  under  more  favorable  auspices  than  were  heretofore  enjoyed 
by  the  company. 

The  Ruby  Hill  Tunnel  Company  was  organized  May,  1882,  for  the  purpose  of  consolidating 
jnder  joint  ownership  twenty-four  mining  claims,  situated  upon  the  west  side  of  Prospect 
Mountain,  and  a  tunnel  was  shortly  afterwards  started  at  the  western  base  of  the  mountain,  at 
a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  Ruby  Hill,  and  about  1,400  feet  northward  from  the 
Prospect  Mountain  tunnel.  It  was  driven  in  1,880  feet  and  lateral  explorations  were  commenced, 
but  for  want  of  means  to  carry  out  the  plans  of  the  company,  active  work  was  abandoned. 
Recently  two  men  have  turned  their  attention  to  a  prospect  1,700  feet  in  from  the  mouth  of 
the  tunnel,  and,  by  drifting  from  that  point,  have  struck  ore  of  the  assay  value  of  $26  in 
gold  to  31  7-10  ounces  silver  per  ton.  The  vein  rises  above  and  dips  be'ow  the  tunnel  level, 
but  has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  explored  to  say  more  about  it  at  this  writing.  It  is,  how- 
ever, quite  promising  and  serves  to  show  that  the  ore  deposits  at  Prospect  Mountain  pitch  down 
into  great  depths.  The  level  of  the  Ruby  Hill  tunnel  is  at  about  700  feet  lower  elevation 
than  the  Eureka  tunnel,  and  where  the  ore  was  first  struck  it  has  a  depth  of  about  900  feet 
below  the  surface. 

The  Eureka  tunnel  was  started  by  General  P.  E.  Connor  along  in  1878;  it  penetrates  Prospect 
Mountain  from   Goodwin   Canyon,  on  the   east   side,  and  is  in  2,008  feet.     Considerable  prospect- 

—  20  — 


ing  was  done,  which  resulted  in  a  gross  output  of  about  $300,000.  A  portion  of  the  money 
that  was  realized  from  the  sale  of  the  ore  fronj  the  tunnel  went  to  purchase  surface  claims 
out  of  which  the  ore  was  taken,  and  large  sums  were  wasted  through  bad  management.  The 
ore  averaged  over  $100  per  ton,  and  if  the  mine  had  been  well  managed  there  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  not  have  paid  dividends.  The  company  ran  in  debt,  and  the  property  subse- 
quently fell  into  new  hands  through  the  foreclosure  of  miners'  liens  and  attachments,  and  the 
present  owners,  having  no  means  for  development,  can  only  work  it  under  the  leasing  and 
tributing    system;     systematic    exploration    is    therefore  impossible  at  present. 

There  are  about  400  mines  in  the  district  now  held  under  valid  titles,  250  of  which  are 
recorded  upon  the  County  Assessor's  books  as'  ore  producers.  The  output  of  quite  a  number 
of  them  has  predominated  in  gold,  particularly  those  which  lie  in  the  ore-bearing  zones  herein 
referred  to  as  the  Hamburg  beds  of  limestone.  There  are  also  several  mines  in  the  Prospect 
Mountain  limestone  beds,  situated  upon  the  west  side  of  Prospect  Mountain,  which  yield  from 
two-thirds  to  three-fourths  of  their  products  in  gold.  There  are  not  over  forty  mines  in  the 
district  under  development  which  at  this  date  are  recognized  as  regular  ore  producers,  but  work 
is  progressing  slow'y  on  a  number  of  others  where  the  ore  that  is  mined  is  of  indifferent  quality, 
or  the  veins  are  rich  but  small,  or  where  the  indications  of  ore  are  encouraging  or  the 
locality  seems  to  justify  the  owners  in  employing  such  means  as  they  possess  in  exploring  them. 
While  the  low  price  of  silver,  in  the  main  part,  seriously  deters  mining  operations  in  this  region, 
the  owners  of  the  smaller  mines  are  encouraged  by  their  unbounded  confidence  in  the  ultimate 
free  coinage  of  silver  and  the  restoration  of  its  normal  value,  and  consequent'y  in  the  eventual 
success   of   their   undertakings. 

THE  MINING  DIVISIONS,  ELEVATIONS  AND  TOPOGRAPHICAL  ASPECT 

The  Eureka  Mining  District  embraces  several  divisions'  and  presents  to  view  a  rough,  broken 
mountain   region,   surrounded  on  all   sides  by   quarternary     valleys.       Prospect     Mountain     ridge 

—  21  — 


forms  its  most  prominent  feature,  extending,  with  its  ramifications,  from  Diamond  Valley,  at 
its  northwestern  extremity,  about  twelve  miles  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to  Fish  Creek  Valley. 
South  of  Prospect  Peak  it  is  intricately  connected  with  the  Fish  Creek  Mountains,  which  trend 
off  to  the  southeast  for  several  mi'es'.  Prospect  Mountain  presents  a  sharp,  broken  outline 
with  bold  escarpments  and  high  peaks,  and  with  abrupt  slopes'  to  the  westward  and  long,  irreg- 
ular ridges  and  spurs  to  the  eastward.  Ruby  Hill  stands  out  as  a  prominent  termination  of  Pros- 
pect Mountain,  of  which  it  forms  the  northwesterly  base. 

Prospect  Peak,  centrally  located  on  Prospect  Mountain  ridge,  has  an  elevation  of  9,604 
feet,  and  the  highest  point  on  Ruby  Hill  is  7,291  feet  above  sea  level  The  latter  rises  about 
500  feet  above  Spring  Valley,  which  borders  it  at  its  western  base.  It  has  a  gradual  descent 
toward  Eureka.  Adams  Hill  lies  in  the  foothills,  separated  by  a  long  ravine,  and  a  mile  and 
a  half  to  the  northward  of  Ruby  Hill.  It  has  an  elevation  of  6,950  feet  above  sea  level.  Secret 
Canyon,  Page  Canyon,  Maryland  Mountain  and  Alhambra  Hill  are  embraced  in  the  'Secret 
Canyon  and  Pinto  Mining  Districts,  but  are  generally  regarded  as  divisions  of  Eureka  Mining 
District,  and  are  situated  at  its  southern  and  southeastern  extremities.  Secret  Canyon  occupies 
the  southeast  portion  of  Prospect  Mountain,  with  Page  Canyon  to  the  eastward  of  it,  each  of 
them  bordering  on  Fish  Creek  Valley.  Hoosac  Mountain  rises  boldly  to  the  north  of  Page 
Canyon  and  lies  west  of  the  Eureka  Canyon  summit.  Maryland  Mountain,  better  known  as 
Silverado,  and  Alhambra  Hill,  a  foothill  to  the  south  of  it,  are  situated  southeasterly  from  the 
town  of  Eureka  and  from  spurs  of  the  main  Diamond  range,  just  over  the  White  Pine  County 
line.  They  are  situated  respectively  fourteen  and  sixteen  miles  distant  from  Eureka,  and  are 
always  referred  to  as  belonging  to  Eureka  District.  The  reason  for  that  is  they  are  separated 
from  all  of  the  other  White  Pine  County  mining  locations  by  Newark  Valley,  and  get  their 
supplies  and  ship  their  products  at  and  through  Eureka.  The  ores  mined  at  Silverado  and 
Alhambra    Hill    are    silver-lead-bearing,    with    a    trace  or  more  of  gold,  and  generally  very  rich. 

—  22  — 


Newark  District,  with  the  Bay  State,  Nevada,  Battery  and  other  mines-,  which  have  been 
productive  and  profitable  at  one  time  or  another,  is  situated  about  twenty  miles  to  the  north- 
east of  Eureka,  beyond  Alhambra  Hill.  It  also  lies  in  White  Pine  County,  borders  on  Newark 
Valley,  and  procures  its   supplies   from  and  ships  its  products  by  way  of  Eureka. 

Spring  Valley  and  Prospect  Mountain  Districts  lie  to  the  west  and  southwest  of  Eureka 
District  and  are  separated  from  it  by  Spring  Valley.  In  the  former  district  are  situated  the 
Woodchopper,  Reeves  and  Berry,  North  Star  and  other  mines,  which  have  produced  consider- 
able rich  chloride  of  silver  ore;  in  the  latter  are  the  Mountain  Boy  and  Kentuck  mines,  which 
have  yielded  large  quantities  of  rich  silver-lead  ore.  These  districts  are  each  of  them  tributary 
to   Eureka   and   likewise   referred   to   as   belonging  to  Eureka  District. 

GEOLOGY 

The  Cambrian,  silurian,  devonian  and  carboniferous  ages  are  all  represented  in  Eureka 
District,  but  it  is  only  in  the  limestone  of  the  cambrian  period  that  ore  deposits  of  any  great 
value  have  been  found.  The  Hoosac,  "76"  and  a  few  other  small  mines  lie  in  the  Lone  Mountain's 
limestone,  and  the  Bullwhacker  in  the  Pogonip  limestone,  both  of  which  belong  to  the  silurian 
age.  In  the  rocks  of  the  devonian  and  carboniferous  ages,  in  Eureka  District,  no  ore  what- 
ever has  been  found.  The  following  beds  of  the  cambrian  age  have  been  distinguished  by  Mr. 
Arnold  Hague,  geologist  in  the  field  of  this  region,  of  the  U.  S!  Survey  of  the  Fortieth  Par- 
allel: Prospect  Mountain  quartzite.  Prospect  Mountain  limestone.  Secret  Canyon  shales,  Ham- 
burg limestone  and   Hamburg  shale. 

The  rocks  of  the  silurian  age,  in  the  order  of  their  succession,  are  Pogonip  limestone,  Eureka 
quartzite,  and  Lone  Mountain  limestone.  The  rocks  of  the  devonian  age  in  the  neighborhood  are 
the  White  Pine  shale  and  Nevada  limestone,  in  the  latter  of  which  are  situated  the  mines  of 
Alhambra  Hill  and  some  of  those  of  Prospect  Mountain    District. 

—  23  — 


The  principal  mines  of  Eureka  District  lie  in  Prospect  Mountain  and  Hamburg  beds  of 
limestone,  which  run  through  the  district  several  miles  in  length,  and  are  bounded  on  either 
side  by  bands  of  quartzite  or  argilacious  shale.  The  beds  of  the  Prospect  Mountain  limestone 
differ  somewhat  from  the  Hamburg  beds,  the  latter  containing  more  silica,  and  breaking  with  a 
sharper  fracture  than  the  former;  upon  the  surface  it  also  shows  a  rough  surface  where  it  has 
been  weathered  by  exposure  to  the  elements.  These  beds  vary  in  width  from  1,000  to  6,000  feet 
and  have  a  general  northerly  trend.  The  dip  is  to  the  eastward,  except  in  isolated  cases.  The 
Prospect  Mountain  quartzite  bends  around  the  northern  slope  of  Prospect  Mountain  in  the  form 
of  a  horseshoe;  it  sinks  on  the  east  side  just  north  of  the  Eureka  tunnel,  where  it  is  sep- 
arated by  a  fault  from  the  Secret  Canyon  shale.  At  a  point  northwesterly,  upon  the  west  side 
of  the  ridge,  it  sinks,  but  crops  out  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  below  and  west  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Prospect  Mountain  tunnel.  It  underlies  and  forms  the  foot-wall  of  the  Ruby  Hill  lode, 
with  an  average  dip  of  40  degrees  to  the  northeast. 

The  ore-bearing  limestone  zone  of  Ruby  Hill  has  been  characterized  as  a  "lode"  in  the 
rulings  of  the  Court  of  the  Sixth  Judicial  District  of  Nevada,  upon  the  evidence  submitted 
through  litigation  between  the  Eureka  Consolidated  Mining  Company  and  the  Richmond  Con- 
solidated Mining  Company  of  Nevada,  and  these  rulings  were  sustained  by  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court.  Hence  the  term  "lode"  has  been  applied  to  all  of  that  portion  of  the  Prospect 
Mountain  limestone  of  which  Ruby  Hill  is  partly  formed.  The  main  feature  of  the  Ruby  Hill 
is  the  presence  of  a  fault  fissure,  to  which  the  name  of  Ruby  Hill  fault  had  been  given  by  the 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  and  which  appears  to  have  a  very  important  bearing  upon  the  miner- 
alized zone,  as  also  upon  the  ore  deposits.  It  strikes  in  a  southeasterly  direction  and  the  average 
dip  of  its  plane  is  70  degrees  northeasterly.  It  extends  from  Ruby  Hill  through  a'.l  of  the  mines 
to  the  southeast  and  has  a  fault  plane  along  which  the  whole  southwestern  country  has  been 
raised    (as    illustrated    by    the    U.    S.    Survey)    from   500  to  2,000  feet. 

—  24  — 


ORES  OF  EUREKA  DISTRICT 

The  following  minerals  have  been  found  among  the  gold  and  silver-bearing  ores  of  Eureka 
District:  Galena,  anglesite,  cerusite,  minelite,  v^rolfenite,  limonite,  pyrite,  arsenopyrite,  molybde- 
nite, malachite  and  azurite.  The  diflferent  classes  of  ore  are  so  varied  in  their  composition  that 
a    full    description    here    would    be    too    voluminous    for    the    requirements    of   this    memoir. 

Silver  occurs  in  the  form  of  chlorides  and  sulphides,  etc.,  and  is  more  directly  associated 
with  quartz,  lead  and  iron  than  other  components  in  the  ores.  Gold  occurs  in  a  metallic  state 
and  is  also  chemically  diffused  through  quartz,  iron  oxide,  etc.  Antimony  is  present  in  many  of 
the  ores,  but  in  what  state  has  not  yet  been  determined.  Silver  is  seldom  found  without  an 
intermixture  of  gold,  and  although  Eureka  is  regarded  wherever  it  is  known  as  a  "silver  camp", 
gold  and  silver  at  their  present  respective  commercial  values',  occur  in  about  equal  proportions 
in  the  combined  products  of  the  district. 

The  lead  ores  of  Eureka  District  have  cut  a  most  important  figure  in  the  general  output; 
the  metallic  leads  obtained  from  them  have  realized  no  less  than  $25,000,000  in  the  open 
market.  They  occur  most'y  in  the  form  of  galena  of  a  coarse  and  medium  grain  and  more 
or  less  mixed  with  sulphide  of  lead  and  iron  oxide.  The  lead  frequently  occurs'  in  the  form 
of  nodules  of  galena,  which  are  changed  at  or  near  the  surface  into  carbonate  of  lead  and  in 
irregular   masses    distributed    with   iron    oxide   throughout  the  ore. 

The  products  of  the  mines  of  Eureka  District  may  be  classed  as  auriferous-argentiferous 
lead  ores,  gold  as  well  as  silver  entering  largely  into  this  composition.  They  are  generally  of 
a  smelting  character,  and  while  lead  has  always  formed  the  most  important  factor  in  their 
reduction,  they  also  contain  sufficient  iron,  silica,  and  other  reducing  agents  to  make  them  self- 
fluxing.  They  are  phenomenally  valuable  for  shipment  to  distant  smelting  centers,  on  account 
of  their  iron  gangue.  Especially  where  ferruginous  ores  are  scarce  and  in  demand,  they  com- 
mand  the   highest   rates   paid   and   frequently   realize  in  the  open  market  more  than  the  full  com- 

—  25  — 


mercial  value  of  their  gold  and  silver  contents.  The  sulphurets,  sulphides  and  carbonates  of  lead 
usually  contain  more  silver  than  gold  and  carry  combined  values  in  both  of  the  precious  metals, 
varying  from  $20,  or  thereabouts,  up  to  $150  per  ton,  while  ores  of  similar  characteristics,  found 
in  the  Hamburg  limestone  beds,  frequently  run  from  $300  to  $500  per  ton  in  value  and  carry 
more  gold  than  silver.  The  chloride  ores  of  the  district  are  sometimes  extremely  rich,  running 
up  into  the  thousands  of  dollars  per  ton,  principally  in  silver.  The  iron  and  silicious  ores 
usually  carry  greater  value  in  gold  than  silver;  especially  where  the  quartz  appears  in  a  much 
crystallized  form,  it  is  generally  very  rich  in  gold. 

Iron  ores  are  plentiful  in  all  parts  of  the  district;  they  occur  in  the  form  of  oxide  and 
carbonates  and  occasionally  silicate  of  iron,  and  range  in  value  from  $6  or  $8  to  $200  and  $300 
per  ton  in  gold  and  silver.  In  some  of  the  mines  where  iron  ores  predominate  the  contents 
average  three  or  four  dollars  in  gold  to  one  of  silver,  and  in  many  cases  might  be  treated 
for    reduction    by    the    cyanide    or    other    similar  processes    with    extremely    profitable    results. 

Free  gold  has  been  found  in  Prospect  Mountain  in  hematite  (sesquioxide  of  iron)  and  also 
in  shipping  quantities  in  calcite  (crystallized  carbonate  of  lime).  Specimens  of  free  gold  in 
hematite  and  large  blocks  of  calcite  have  assayed  up  into  many  thousands  of  dollars  per  ton. 
Those  occurred  in  some  of  the  mines  upon  the  west  side  of  Prospect  Mountain,  but  m  the 
Hamburg  beds  of  Adams  Hill,  and  that  which  forms  the  eastern  base  of  Prospect  Mountain  for 
a  continuous  distance   of  ten  or  twelve  miles,  the    ores    that   were    mined   generally   predominated 

in  gold. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  millions  of  tons  of  low-grade  ore  blocked  out  and  m  pros- 
pective in  the  various  mines  of  the  district,  the  value  of  which  must  depend  on  future  appli- 
ances for  their  reduction  to  marketable  material,  and  which,  under  such  advantages  as  are  enjoyed 
in  the  prominent  mining  camps  of  California,  Utah  and  Colorado,  would  realize  to  the  owners 
many  millions  of  dollars.  The  time  is  not  far  in  advance  of  the  present  when  such  advant- 
ages may  be  placed  within  our  reach. 

—  26  — 


The  source  of  the  ore  in  Eureka  District  is  a  matter  of  conjecture  upon  which  many 
theories  have  been  advanced.  They  may  have  owed  their  genesis  to  the  eruptive  influences  of 
the  volcanic  rocks  in  the  neighborhood.  They  may  have  been  deposited  by  either  chemical  or 
mechanical  action,  possibly  by  means  of  the  percolation  of  water  carrying  mineral  solution 
through  the  seams  in  the  lime  rock  from  the  surface  downward,  or  from  the  injunction  of  solu- 
tions which  came  from  below.  The  most  generally  accepted  theory  is  that  of  infiltration  from 
below. 

The  distribution  of  ore  has  been  determined  almost  entirely  by  the  physical  character  of 
the  limestone  in  which  it  is  found,  and  it  is  difficult  to  classify  the  ore  deposits  as  regards'  their 
forms.  The  limestone,  wherever  it  is  charged  with  mineral,  has  been  much  crushed,  fissured  and 
faulted.  The  crushing  and  grinding  forces  have  evidently  taken  place  under  tremendous  pres- 
ure,  caused  by  upheaval  previous  to  the  disposition  of  the  ore,  which  has  evidently  followed 
the  seams,  fissures  and  cavities  that  were  formed  by  the  displacement  of  the  rocks,  forming  in 
solution  and  precipitating  in  those  places  that  were  most  favorable  for  their  reception.  The 
varied  conditions  of  the  ores  are  doubtless  due  to  chemical  action  under  solfataric  and  atmo- 
spheric influences.  The  ore  deposits  have  been  found  in  chimneys,  pillars,  pipe  veins  and 
aggregations  in  many  varied  forms',  and  also  in  immense  chambers,  the  contents  of  which  have 
sometimes  realized  millions  of  dollars.  'Some  of  the  chambers  in  the  Ruby  Hill  mines  were 
many  acres  in  extent.  The  ore  deposits  often  lie  concealed  in  their  bedding,  dipping  great  dis- 
tances from  their  croppings,  and  are  usually  connected  by  such  phenomena  in  the  country  rock  as 
caves,   fissures,   broken   limestone,   etc.,   and  by  stringers  of  iron  in  one  form  or  another. 

The  manner  of  prospecting  consists  in  digging  and  following  in  any  direction  along  the 
course  or  on  the  dip  of  the  seams  or  fissures  which  carry  ore  or  show  indications  of  ore,  or  in 
sinking  shafts  or  driving  tunnels  and  drifts  and  crosscuts.  When  the  developments  justify 
extensive  exploration,  shafts  are  sunk  or  tunnels  are  driven  into  the  hills  from  the  most  con- 
venient  points,   and   from   them   drifts   or  crosscuts    are    run   in    any   desired    direction    to   the    ore 

—  27  — 


channels,    which    are    then    explored    to    the    best  advantage  or  according  to  the  judgment  of  the 
prospector  or  miner  or  the  superintendent  or  foreman  in  charge  of  the  work. 

The  usual  size  of  a  single  compartment  shaft  is  4x6  feet  in  the  clear,  that  of  a  double 
compartment  5x10  feet  in  the  clear,  to  leave  suflficient  room  for  cribbing,  and  where  larger 
shafts  are  required  the  dimensions  are  regulated  according  to  the  capacity  of  the  mine  and 
the  amount  of  exploration  work  to  be  done.  Drifts  are  usually  4  feet  wide  and  6  feet  6  inches 
in  the  clear  on  the  main  levels,  but  the  ordinary  drift  required  by  a  tributer  is  regulated  by 
the  distance  he  has  to  run  and  the  character  and  condition  of  his  prospect,  and  is  usually  no 
larger  than  it  takes  space  to  crawl  through. 

TIMBERING 

The  methods  employed  in  timbering  shafts  and  drifts  in  the  mines  are  similar  to  those 
usually  employed  in  other  mining  regions  of  the  Pacific  Slope,  but  the  system  adopted  to  pre- 
vent the  caving  of  excavated  ore  chambers  is  similar  to  that  adopted  in  the  mines  of  the  Com- 
stock  lode.  Two  or  three-inch  planks  are  used  in  ordinary  double  or  three  compartment  shafts. 
As'  a  ru'e  the  ground  stands  well  in  ordinary  shafts  or  drifts,  but  there  are  places  where  the 
limerock  is  crushed  to  either  breccia  or  fine  sand,  which  requires  to  be  timbered.  Where  drifts 
are  run  along  the  contact  of  limestone  and  shale  or  quartzite,  timbering  frequently  becomes 
necessary.  In  such  places  '4x4  or  4x6-inch  posts  and  caps  and  ordinary  lagging  or  two-inch 
planks  are  used,  but  in  the  stations  at  the  various  levels  and  in  the  stopes  in  the  chambers' 
10x10,  10x12  and  12xl2-inch  timbers  are  used.  These  timbers  are  hewn  from  the  pine  trees  of  the 
Sierra   Nevada   Mountains   and  are   usually  of  the   best   quality. 


—  28— 


-  REDUCTION  AND  SALE  OF  PRODUCTS 

The  discovery  of  Eureka  District  dates  back  to  1864,  but  during  the  first  four  years  there- 
after very  little  progress  in  mining  was  made,  and  it  was  not  until  the  summer  of  1870,  when 
David  E.  Buel  and  Isaac  C.  Bateman  bought  the  Buckeye  and  Champion  mines,  upon  Ruby 
Hill,  and  subsequently,  in  the  same  year,  sold  them  to  the  Eureka  Consolidated  Mining  Com- 
pany of  San  Francisco,  that  active  mining  and  smelting  was  commenced  on  a  large  scale  in 
the  district.  During  the  interim,  and  for  some  time  afterward,  a  great  deal  of  rich  ore  was 
shipped    to    Austin,    Lander    County,    for    treatment. 

To  the  discovery  and  development  of  Eureka  District,  Eureka  County  for  several  years  owed 
its  growth  and  prosperity,  and  to  its  industrial  growth  was  due  the  credit  for  the  first  successful 
treatment,  by  smelting,  of  silver-lead  ores  in  the  United  States.  The  first  experiment  in  smelting  in 
Eureka  was  made  in  1866,  and  that,  like  others  which  followed  it,  resulted  in  failure,  until  1869 
and  1870,  when  Major  W.  W.  McCoy  and  Col.  G.  Collier  Robbins  commenced  the  operations  of  draft 
and  blast  furnaces,  and  the  first  successful  runs  were  made  by  them.  In  1871  the  Richmond  Mining 
Company,  of  London,  England,  purchased  some  claims  adjoining  those  of  the  Eureka  Consolidated 
Company  on  Ruby  Hill,  and  soon  afterwards  commenced  the  erection  of  smelting  furnaces.  In 
1878  there  were  sixteen  furnaces  running  and  reducing  from  1,000  to  15,000  tons  of  ore  per  day  from 
the  mines  of  Eureka  District.  That  number  was  subsequently  reduced  to  eight  or  ten,  and  those 
were  operated  by  the  Eureka  Consolidated  and  Richmond  Companies,  who,  by  reason  of  their 
superior  facilities,  succeeded  in  treating  the  products  of  the  mines  of  the  smaller  companies  at 
cheaper  rates  than  the  latter  could  at  their  own  furnaces.  They  purchased  custom  ore  from 
the  mines  of  Eureka  and  other  districts  within  the  county,  as  also  from  those  of  the  outlying 
districts  of  White  Pine  and  Nye  Counties.  Eureka  District  possessed  all  of  the  natural  fluxes 
required  for  the  reduction  of  ore  in  great  abundance,  such  as  iron,  silica,  lead,  limerock,  etc., 
and  it  became  the   smelting  center  for  nearly  all  of  the  mines'  within  a  radius  of  90  or  100  miles. 

—  29  — 


In  1877  the  Richmond  Company  added  a  large  refinery  to  their  plant,  using  the  Luce  and 
Rosan  refining  process  (crystallization  by  introduction  of  steam  through  the  molten  lead),  which 
enabled  them  to  desilverize  base  bullion  and  hold  the  most  of  their  market  lead  for  the  highest 
price  obtainable.  The  Eureka  Consolidated  Company  also  set  up  a  refinery  in  1886,  with 
the  same  object  in  view,  and  were  greatly  benefited  by  the  operation  of  it.  They  used  a  zinc 
process',  said  to  be  a  modification  of  the  Pattinson  method.  The  reduction  works  of  both  of 
those  companies'  were  continued  in  operation  until  December,  1889,  when  the  Richmond  Company 
discontinued  the  purchase  of  custom  ores  and  a  few  months  later  cleaned  up  all  of  their  material 
on  hand  and  suspended  work.  The  Eureka  Consolidated  Company  also  suspended  operations 
at  their  reduction  works,  but  not  until  the  fall  of   1891. 

In  the  fall  of  1889  the  railroad  companies,  acting  under  the  influence  of  R.  C.  Chambers  and 
Richard  Mcintosh,  of  Salt  Lake,  who  had  purchased  the  Diamond  mine  on  Prospect  Moun- 
tain, reduced  the  rates  of  transportation  on  ore  to  Salt  Lake,  and  it  was  that,  added  to  the 
fluctuating  and  downward  tendency  of  silver  and  the  failure  of  the  big  ore  bodies  above  the 
water  level,  in  the  Richmond  and  Eureka  Consolidated  mines,  which  caused  those  companies 
to  suspend  operations  at  their  reduction  works,  and  to  ship  off  their  own  mining  products  for 
treatment  elsewhere.  Probably  some  day  in  the  future  our  local  products  will  be  again  treated 
at  home,  but  under  more  favorable  auspices  than  those  which  have  obtained  in  the  past;  the 
first  that  recurs  to  the  writer  must  be  reduction  in  the  rates  of  transportation  of  fuel  and 
supplies,  but  other  economic  reforms'  will  also  become  necessary.  In  the  meantime  new  pro- 
cesses may  be  taken  in  hand  for  the  treatment  of  low-grade  ores,  of  which  may  be  found  a  great 
abundance  in  the  mines  of  Eureka  District  and  its  neighborhood. 

YIELD  OF  THE  METALS  ESTIMATED 

The  total  yield  of  ore  from  the  mines  of  the  County  from  1894  up  to  the  end  of  1895  is 
estimated    at    over   $125,000,000   gross    value.     That  estimate  is  based  on  the  tonnage  accounted  for 

—  30  — 


upon  the  County  Assessor's  books  since  March,  1873,  the  ores  that  were  reduced  in  Eureka 
previous  to  that  period,  the  products  which  were  shipped  to  Austin  and  other  places,  and  from 
other  sources  of  information.  Up  to  the  latter  part  of  1882  the  estimates  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey  placed  the  total  production  of  the  precious  metals  from  Eureka  District  alone  at  about 
sixty  million  dollars — about  one-third  gold,  and  two-thirds  silver.  It  also  estimated  the  pro- 
duction of  lead  at  225,000  tons,  which,  at  $90  per  ton,  equals  a  value  of  $20,250,000,  making  the 
total  yield  of  the  district,  up  to  the  latter  part  of   1882,   in   round   figures,  $80,000,000. 

The  Eureka  reduction  companies  never  paid  anything  for  the  iron  contained  in  the  ores 
they  purchased,  but  shippers  are  paid  at  the  rate  of  $15  per  ton  at  the  'Salt  Lake  and  other 
distant  smelters  for  all  of  the  iron  their  ore  contains.  As  some  of  the  Eureka  ores  carry  as 
much  as  60  per  cent.  (1,200  to  the  ton  of  2,000)  of  iron,  that  metal  has  assumed  great  import- 
ance as  a  factor  of  economic  value  to  shippers.  At  distant  smelters  it  is  an  important  fluxing 
agent,    and    not   easily    obtained. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Eureka  District  has  been  mainly  self-sustaining.  It  has  neither 
been  fostered  by  loud  advertising  nor  speculation  in  stocks.  The  total  amount  of  capital 
invested  for  the  purchase  of  mines'  has  not  reached  two  million  dollars,  and  a  like  amount  will 
cover  all  of  the  assessments  that  have  been  levied  for  its  support.  The  shares  of  her  incorpo- 
rated   companies    have    always    been    held    for    legitimate   investment   at   their   normal   value. 

The  mines  have  been  only  twenty-six  years'  under  active  development  and  the  lowest  depth 
obtained  is  only  1,400  feet.  That  was  the  depth  (or  thereabouts)  of  the  Con.  Virginia  when  it 
commenced  to  make  millionaires  of  men  and  show  up  the  apparently  limitless  richness  of  the 
Comstock. 

There  is  a  vast  acreage  of  undeveloped  mineral  land  in  Eureka  District,  and  the  same  thing 
is'  observable  in  other  localities  in  the  County,  which,  under  favorable  auspices,  may  at  any  time 
in   the   future   forge   to   the   front.     Eureka   County    has    no    doubt    a    great    future    yet    in    store, 

^31  — 


having    and    possessing    the    substance    for    making    it    one    of    the    most    important    wealth-pro- 
ducing sections  of  the  great  western  mountain  regions. 

The  County  Assessor's  books  show  a  total  yield  from  the  mines  of  the  County,  from  the 
quarter  ending  March  31,  1873,  up  to  March  31,  1896,  of  1,316,170  tons  and  1,490  pounds  of  ore  of 
the  net  value  of  $44,241,016.93.  The  following  is  a  resume  of  the  yield  of  some  of  the  prominent 
mines  of  the  County  during  the  period  specified: 


—  32  — 


District 


Name    of    Mine    or    Company 


Tons      Pounds 


Amount 


Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Cortez 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Mineral    Hill__ 
Secret    Canyon 

Cortez 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka^ 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Cortez 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Diamond 

»  Eureka 

Eureka 


Adams    Hill    Con.    Mining    Co.'s    Mines. 

Albion  Con.  Mining  Co.,  one  mine 

Alexander   Mining   Co.,    one   mine 

Antelope    

Altoona    

Aurora 

Bull  whacker     

Barton 

Banner 

Bowman    

Barker,   Spencer  &   Co.    Mines 

Bertrand    Mining   Co.    

Benjamin   Harrison   

Charleston    

California    &    Silver   King   

Connolly    

Delaware     

Dug  Out   

Diamond  Mining  Co.  Mines 

Dead   Broke   

Eureka  Tunnel    

El  Dorado — Ruby-Dunderberg  Co. 

El   Dorado — Kane,   O'Leary  &  Sullivan-. 

Eureka    Con.    Mining   Co.    

Ethel 

Eraser   &    Molino 

Fourth  of  July 

Garrison   Mine — Wenban's  group 

Grant 

Industry 

Idaho 

Irish  Imbassinder 

Jackson   Con.    Mining   Co. 

King   Lear 

Kentuck 

Lincoln 

Lone  Pine  _. 

Lord   Byron 


33 


1,515 

7,126 

1,290 

208 

524 

155 

4,117 

583 

1,277 

1,094 

31,422 

32,081 

47 

131 

1,780 

4,657 

484 

510 

32,705 

456 

4,274 

605 

168 

534,277 

54 

640 

303 

63,260 

627 

539 

1,319 

174 

24,245 

487 

197 

1,953 

762 

2,613 


2,433 

1,963 

3,130 

1,042 

3,351 

484 

1,801 

2,312 

968 

1,890 

3,691 

834 

872 

2,850 

514 

1,091 

2,363 

604 

673 

591 

2,220 

443 

1,530 

1,036 

242 

1,103 

1,628 

897 

119 

916 

473 


1,057 
1,879 
141 
657 
553 
380 


$  15, 

245, 

54, 

8, 

30, 

14, 

116, 

16, 

44, 

51, 

325, 

629, 

6, 

6, 

4o; 

166, 

14, 

42; 

1,060 

17, 

192, 

59; 

9, 

17,404, 

6, 

26, 

10, 

3,166, 

38, 

40, 

41, 

29, 

834, 

27, 

14, 

25, 

26, 

118, 


463  08 
305  39 
155  00 
158  25 
479  34 
316  85 
068  70 
092  36 
904  58 
091  61 
836  63 
468  40 
281  00 
895  05 
264  06 
794  11 
365  13 
502  99 
874  59 
566  67 
475  75 
802  73 
977  96 
727  89 
653  28 
873  04 
988  35 
766  a5 
912  98 
550  97 
224  30 
187  73 
230  48 
971  97 
531  77 
085'35 
568  20 
578  46 


District 


Name    of    Mine    or    Company 


Tons 

Pounds 

Amount 

397 

1,955 

8,431  63 

232 

1,138 

12,656  18 

886 

1,565 

32,928.10 

1,479 

634 

80,079  65 

896 

1.581 

73,407  28 

103 

528 

6,355  21 

1,891 

607 

31,317  49 

100 

933 

6,431  35 

354 

827 

29,392  14 

565 

782 

18,109  88 

597 

1,272 

30,384  34 

1,434 

608 

27,094  50 

101 

711 

6,047  89 

891 

844 

29,791  05 

742 

402 

29,929  19 

4,629 

2,145 

134,077  86 

137 

454 

6,216  91 

459,130 

2,172 

15,633,831  45 

51,268 

335 

1,882,933  89 

317 

77 

8,929  59 

269 

1,556 

10,900  48 

4,626 

1,766 

158,900  98 

4,874 

2,374 

219,348  71 

298 

722 

12,277  18 

51 

385 

7,299  94 

491 

101 

16,519  36 

3,950 

1,060 

87,380  00 

42 

858 

6,484  87 

2,935 

1,550 

75,111  88 

950 

536 

22,173  39 

Eureka 

i'mto 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Safford 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Prospect    Mountain 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Eureka 

Mineral    Hill 

Union    

Antelope 

Cortez 

Eureka 

Eureka 


Lemon   Mill   Co.    

Munroe    

Marguerite    

M'atamoras     

Macon    City    

Morning  Star 

Members    

Maria 

Mountain   Boy 

Mortimer 

Onondago    

Oriental  &  Belmont 

Orange  

Prospect  Mountain  Tunnel 

Paul    Pry    

Phenix  Mining  Co. 

Pioneer-Westside    P.    Mt.    

Richmond  Mining  Co.   Mines 

Ruby-Dunderberg    Mining    Co.    

Rewes  and  Berry 

Sev«nty-six  

Silver   Connon   

Silver  Ijick 

Summit    

Swallow     

Star  Mining  and  Milling  Co. 

St.  Peters  Con.  G.  &  S.  Mining  Co. 

Ventura  

Williamsburg     

Whip-poor-will   (Diamond   Group) 


—  34  — 


BUILDINGS    AND    MACHINERY 

THE  DIAMOND  MINE 

This  is  the  only  property  in  Eureka  District  upon  which  active  mining  operations  are  being 
pushed  at  present  with  systematic  vigor.  About  fifty  miners'  are  employed  at  day's  pay, 
opening  up  long  galleries,  lateral  drifts,  crosscuts  and  connections  upon  the  main  levels,  as 
also  in  sinking,  uprising  and  prospecting.  As  the  management  pursues  a  conservative  policy, 
and  the  employees  are  influenced  by  it,  very  little  information  can  be  gained  by  the  public,  but 
the  signs  of  activity  and  confidence  exhibited  indicate  that  the  owners  have  great  faith  in  their 
property.  The  main  tunnel  of  the  mine  taking  a  direct  westerly  course,  has  been  driven  in 
2,300  feet.  From  a  point  1,500  feet  in  from  the  mouth,  lateral  drifts  have  been  driven — one  north- 
erly, 1,000  feet,  and  another  southerly  2,700  feet.  From  200  feet  further  in  the  tunnel  parallel 
drifts  have  been  driven,  the  north  being  1,000  feet  and  the  south  900  feet  long.  Those  are  con- 
nected by  crosscuts  with  the  first  mentioned  drifts,  and  give  convenient  access  and  good  venti- 
lation. Rail  tracks  are  used  throughout  the  mine.  The  principal  ore  chute,  as  developed  through 
the  mine,  had  its  apex  about  830  feet  above  the  main  tunnel  level,  and  was  followed  to  a  depth 
of  500  feet  below  it.  There  are  three  shafts  going  down  from  the  main  tunnel.  The  main 
shaft,  No.  1,  is  down  535  feet,  and  the  lowest  level  runs  ofif  from  a  station  about  28  feel 
above   that   point.     No.   2  is   down   385   feet   to   the  300  level,  and  No.  3  is  down  200  feet. 

The  above  meager  details  are  all  that  can  be  given  at  present  in  regard  to  the  mine  work- 
ings. The  system  employed  for  the  underground  exploration  and  development  is  said  to  be 
thorough  and  admirable. 

The  property  is  splendidly  equipped  with  machinery  and  buildings  for  all  of  its  requirements. 
At  the  entrance  to  the  tunnel  are  on  one  side  a  carpenter  shop  and  on  the  other  side  a  blacksmith 

—  35  — 


iflOti      Drmo 


'^:r- ," 


COPYRIGHT,    leOB,    BY    C.    H.    GORMAN 

Prospect,  Nevada,  in  1907,  situated  Four  Miles  Soutli  of  Eureka 


shop,  the  former  being  24x32  and  the  latter  32x32  feet  in  the  clear,  and  each  of  them  in  their 
special   departments   are   thoroughly   equipped. 

There  are  three  hoisting  engines  in  the  mine,  upon  the  main  tunnel  level,  each  of  which  is  run 
by  compressed  air;  that  upon  the  No.  1  double  compartment  shaft  is  a  Fraser  and  Chalmer,  single, 
spur-geared  double  hoist,  with  12x20-inch  cylinder.  It  is  equipped  with  iron  cages  and  two 
flat  3x^-inch  steel  wire  ropes.  No.  2  prospecting  shaft  has  a  small  Eastern-made  double  hoist, 
with  two  cylinders  of  6>:;xl6  inches.  This  is  a  single,  spur-geared  hoist,  with  reversible  link 
motion  and  one  reel  with  a  5^-inch  round  steel  rope.  No.  3  shaft  is  equipped  with  a  small 
8xl0-inch  cylinder,  reversible,  link  motion  engine,  with  a  single  reel  and  one-inch  wire  rope. 
There  are  three  3^-inch  IngersoU  drills  used  in  the  mine,  which  are  run  by  compressed  air,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  hoisting  machinery,  by  a  No.  7  Burleigh  air  compressor.  The  machinery 
which  furnishes  the  motive  power  and  its  equipments  are  contained  in  a  substantial  frame  build- 
ing 37  feet  wide  by  80  feet  long.  The  compressor  room  is  Zl  feet  long,  16  feet  wide  and  16  feet 
high  with  tongue  and  groove  floor,  ceiling,  sides  and  ends.  The  equipments,  in  addition  to  the 
air  compressors,  consist  of  two  sets  of  52-inch  by  16  feet  boilers,  with  steam  drums,  etc.;  an  air 
receiver  4  feet  in  diameter  and  12  feet  high;  an  18-inch  by  4  feet  heater;  a  Knowles  duplex 
pump,  with  four  3-inch  plungers,  and  a  No.  7  Cameron  pump  for»  pumping  water  from  contiguous 
springs  and  supplying  the  boilers  and  boarding  houses  with  water.  There  is  also  a  turning 
department,  equipped  with  a  Morgan  &  Orr  14-feet  turning  lathe,  with  all  of  the  necessary  para- 
phernalia, and  run  by  a  small   upright   engine. 

The  boarding  house  is  a  large,  commodious  and  substantial  frame  building.  It  contains  a 
large  and  well-furnished  kitchen,  a  dining  room  to  seat  over  100  men  at  table,  a  sitting  and  wash 
room,  and,  upon  the  second  story,  a  fine,  airy  sleeping  room,  furnished  with  bunks  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  employees.  The  superintendent's  compartments,  at  the  southeast- and  rear  end  of 
the  buildings,  consist  of  an  amply  and  substantially  furnished  office  and  bedroom,  and  an  extra 
suite  of  rooms  for  the  foreman,  etc. 

—  Zl  — 


PHOTO,    C.     H.    GORMAN 


Eureka  Consolidated  Mine  and  Ore  Bin,  Ruby  Hill,  Nevada 
This  mine  is  producing  over  200  tons  of  ore  per  day  the  year  around 


Returning  to  the  tunnel,  the  tracks  upon  the  dumps  are  enclosed  in  sheds,  which  protect  the 
carmen  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  and  the  rails  from  obstruction  by  snow  in  the 
winter  season.  Solid  and  commodious  bins  and  assorting  floors  are  constructed  below  the 
dumps  for  the  convenient  handling  of  ore  from  the  mine,  and  one  of  them  is  connected  with 
the  sheds  by  a  large  double  box  chute,  with  a  convenient  grating  through  which  the  coarse 
material  falls  on  to  an  intermediate  floor.  There  it  is  broken  into  small  fragments  and 
reshoveled  into  the  box  chute  and  dropped  with  the  balance  of  the  material  onto  the  lower 
floor.  There  the  ore  is  thoroughly  mixed,  weighed  and  sacked,  ready  for  shipment  to  Salt  Lake, 
where    it    is    sent    for    treatment.     The    very    rich  ore  is  kept  and  shipped  separately. 

THE  EUREKA    CONSOLIDATED  MINE 

Has  been  worked  mainly  upon  the  various  levels  run  ofif  from  the  Lawton  double  compart- 
ment shaft,  upon  which  the  old  hoisting  works  stand.  This  is  a  vertical  shaft,  down  about 
750  feet  from  the  surface.  It  has  penetrated  the  quartzite  foot-wall  about  35  feet  below  the 
9th  level.  From  that  level  downwards,  the  mine  was  worked  through  an  incline  winze  which 
was  sunk  to  the  14th  level.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  lineal  measurement  of  the  openings 
of  the  Ruby  Hill  mines,  as  the  most  of  them  are  filled  with  waste  rock.  Only  the  most  import- 
ant  places   upon   the   main   levels'  remain   open.     Large  blocks  of  ground  are  yet  unexplored. 

The  machinery  upon  the  Lawton  shaft  consists  of  a  double  spur-geared,  reversible,  link 
motion,  horizontal  hoist  with  20x60-inch  cylinders  and  two  4xM-inch  steel  wire  ropes,  each 
about  1,000  feet  in  length;  one  pair  (twin)  tubular  boilers  48-inch  by  16  feet,  and  a  single  boiler 
of  the  same  make  and  dimensions;  two  safety  cages;  one  No.  1  Burleigh  air  compressor  and 
Ingersoll    drills    (used    in    the    mine),    and    circular  saws  for  cutting  timbers'. 

The  machinery  upon  the  Locan  shaft  is  ponderous  and  powerful,  but  cannot  be  fully  described, 
as  it  is  too  complicated  for  the  capabilities  of  any  engineer  at  present  in  Eureka.  Its  description 
must    be    explained    by    either    the    builder    or    the  engineers  who  supervised  its  erection.     It  con- 

—  39  — 


PHOTO,   C.    H.    GORMAN 


Richmond  Mine,  Ruby  Hill,  Nevada 


sists  of  three  engines.  One  of  them  is  a  compound  condensing  engine  and  was  used,  in  con- 
nection with  a  huge  accumulator,  to  inject  water  into  it  for  the  purpose  of  creating  hydraulic 
power;  the  second  was  used  for  hoisting  purposes,  and  the  third  for  handling  the  pumps. 
There  are  stationary  pumps'  at  the  600  and  1,200-foot  stations;  the  latter,  however,  is  not  in 
a  complete  condition,  and  a  lifting  pump  was  used  between  stations.  The  original  machinery 
was  built  upon  the  same  principle  as  that  upon  the  Hale  and  Norcross  or  Combination  shaft  on 
the  Comstock.  Full  information  can  probably  be  had  by  communicating  with  the  Risdon  and 
Union    Works,    San    Francisco,    where    the    machinery  was  planned  and  constructed. 

THE  RICHMOND   MINE 

The  main  shaft  upon  the  Richmond  mine  is  a  vertical  double  compartment  one  and  is  down 
to  a  depth  of  1,230  feet,  being  30  feet  below  the  1,200-foot  level  and  the  lowest  point  struck  in 
Ruby  Hill.  This'  shaft  has  passed  through  the  quartzite.  The  machinery  consists  of  a  twin 
direct  acting  horizontal  hoist,  with  Coller's  bed  and  16-inch  by  5  feet  cylinder;  two  flat  steel 
4x^-inch  steel  wire  ropes,  each  1,500  feet  in  length;  two  patent  safety  cages;  one  5x16  feet 
and  two  14x16  feet  tubular  boilers;  one  No.  7  Burleigh  air  compressor  to  run  Ingersoll  drills  in 
mine.  The  whole  is  covered  by  a  substantial  corrugated  iron-sheeted  building,  40  feet  in  width 
by  80  feet  long.  Within  the  building,  or  attached  to  it,  is  a  carpenter  shop  fully  equipped 
with  circular  saws  for  cutting  timbers  and  all  of  the  necessary  tools  for  mine  work.  Separate 
from  the  hoisting  works  is  a  blacksmith  shop,  24x16  feet  in  the  clear  and  well  fitted  throughout. 

THE  JACKSON  MINE 

There  are  two  shafts  in  this  mine.  The  one  in  present  use  has  two  compartments,  with  two 
patent  safety  cages  and  is  down  600  feet,  with  three  main  levels  run  off  and  connected  with  the 
workings  from  the  old  shaft,  that  through  which  the  mine  was  formerly  worked  for  the  rich 
and   extensive   ore   deposits   which   went   down   from  the  grass  roots'.     The  present  main  working 

—  41  — 


shaft  is  equipped  with  a  spur-geared  reversible,  horizontal  hoist,  with  a  12x24-inch  cylinder;  two 
reels,   with   flat   4xi/4-inch    steel    wire    cables,    each  about  1000  feet  in  length,  and  boilers. 

THE  PHOENIX  MINE 

Has  a  double  compartment  shaft  down  about  570  feet,  with  five  main  levels  and  an  incline  winze 
down  to  the  6th  level  which  runs  from  the  quartzite  to  the  lode.  The  shaft  is  equipped  with 
a  single  spur-geared,  reversible  hoist,  with  link  motion  and  l^x3l^-foot  cylinders.  It  has 
two  reels  with  6xi/2-inch  wire  cables,  and  two  patent  safety  cages.  But  one  boiler  is  employed 
and  that  is  of  an  extra  large  size. 

THE  HAMBURG  MINE 

Has  a  double  compartment  shaft  down  860  feet,  with  main  levels  run  off  at  the  several  depths 
of  150,  250,  450,  600  and  850  feet,  combining  an  aggregate  of  about  two  miles.  It  is  equipped 
with  a  spur-geared,  reversible  hoist,  with  14x24-inch  cylinders;  two  reels,  each  carrying  1,000 
feet  of  steel  wire  4xi/2-inch  cable;  one  horizontal  tubular  45^xl6-feet  boiler,  all  covered  by  a 
large  and  commodious  building,  having  within  well-equipped  carpenter  and  blacksmith  shops. 

THE  DUNDERBERG  MINE 

Has'  a  double  compartment  shaft,  equipped  with  a  two-spur,  geared,  double  reversible  hoist; 
two  reels,  each  carrying  a  flat  steel  wire  4xf^-inch  cable;  two  large  horizontal  4j^xl6  feet 
tubular  boilers,  and  a  No.  1  Burleigh  air  compressor,  with  Ingersoll  drills.  Under  the  same 
roof  as  the  hoisting  works,  in  an  adjoining  wing  of  the  building,  is  a  blacksmith  shop,  with 
forge  and  work  bench  and  also  a  carpenter  bench. 

All  of  the  shafts  named  herein  are  down  vertically,    and    the    hoists    are    all    run    by    steam, 
except    those   at    the    Diamond    mine,    which,    like  that  formerly  used   at   the   top   of  the  900-foot 

—  42  — 


level  incline  (which  goes  down  to  the  14th  level  of  the  Eureka  Consolidated  mine),  are  driven 
by  compressed  air. 

There  are  several  other  steam  hoists  in  the  district  which  are  small  and  of  only  temporary 
use  and  which,  at  any  time,  may  be  replaced  by  more  substantial  plants.  Such  changes'  must 
depend  on  improvements  in   the  auspices   for  mine  development  in  Eureka. 

There  is  a  fine  hoisting  p'ant  on  the  Price  and  Davis  shaft,  at  present  inaccessible.  Among 
the  smaller  hoists  are  those  on  the  Matamoras,  Banner,  Lord  Byron,  Silver  Connor,  Kit 
Carson,   Geddez   and   Connolly.     There   is   also   one  on  the  Queen  mine  at  Silverado. 

NEIGHBORING  DISTRICTS   WITHIN   THE  COUNTY 

Outside  of  Eureka  and  within  the  County  are  several  mining  districts,  any  of  which  may 
come  to  the  front  as  great  ore  producers.  In  fact,  Cortez  and  Mineral  Hill  have  already  yielded 
sufficient  to  give  them  place  among  the  most  important  mining  regions  of  the  County.  Safford 
District,  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  Humboldt  River,  about  five  miles  distant  from  Pali- 
sade, has  a  number  of  ore  veins  in  porphyry.  The  ore  is  generally  very  rich  in  silver,  and  there 
is'  justification  in  the  belief  that  the  veins  will  pay  well  to  explore  on  an  extensive  scale. 

Richmond  District,  which  is  divided  by  the  line  that  separates  Eureka  from  Elko  County, 
and  Goodhue  and  Schroeder  Districts,  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  tounty,  have  produced  rich 
ore,  but  not  in  such  quantities  as  to  give  them  special  distinction.  Roberts'  District  has  been 
known  for  a  number  of  years,  but  until  within  the  present  year  it  has  only  received  passing 
attention.  Several  years  ago  some  c'aims  were  worked,  but  with  results  so  unsatisfactory  that 
they  were  soon  practically  abandoned.  Early  last  spring,  they  having  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
R.  D.  Clark  of  Reno,  his  son  and  others  who  were  associated  with  them,  men  were  employed  by 
them  on  the  Keystone  mine,  and  they  developed  a  vein  or  deposit  of  ore  which  they  feel  justified 
in  exploring  on  a  more  extensive  scale  than  had  previously  been  attempted.  Miners  are  of  the 
opinion    that    the    prospect    is    good    for   the    development   of  a   great   mine.     It  is   situated   about 

—  43  — 


53  miles  northeast  of  Eureka  and  17  miles  southwest  of  Cortez.  The  mines  show  bold  croppings 
which  are  traceable  for  a  half  mile  or  thereabouts.  The  work  recently  done  there  consists  of 
a  tunnel  150  feet  in  length,  connecting  with  a  shaft  105  feet  deep.  Low-grade  ore  was  found 
on  top,  but  very  rich  material  was  encountered  in  sinking.  Recent  developments  consist  of  a  vein 
of  15  to  20  feet  in  width,  not  all  ore,  but  the  paying  material  assays  from  18  to  600  ounces  of 
silver  to  the  ton,  and  some  of  it  will  yield  as  high  as  $120  in  gold.  The  ledge  is  described 
as  a  contact  vein,  with  a  porphyry  foot-wall  and  limestone  in  the  "hanging".  Messrs.  Clark  & 
Co.  have  secured  about  twenty  claims  on  the  lode.  Cuperite  and  other  forms  of  copper  are  found 
in  some  of  the  ore,  and  quantities  of  it  will  yield  from  12  to  34  per  cent,  of  that  metal.  Lead 
and  iron  sulphides  are  also  abundant.  A  concentrator  has  been  set  up  near  the  mine  and  a 
smelter  is  in  course  of  construction  to  be  used  for  matting  the  ore  until  more  definite  plans  are 
matured. 

Mineral  Hill  District  is  situated  in  the  foothills,  about  five  miles  east  of  Mineral  Station, 
on  the  line  of  the  Eureka  and  Palisade  Railroad.  It  was  discovered  in  1869,  when  several  claims 
were  located  there  upon  silver  quartz  deposits.  They  were  sold  in  1870  to  George  D.  Roberts 
and  Wm.  Lent  of  San  Francisco,  for  $400,000,  and  the  Mineral  Hill  Mining  Company  was 
organized.  After  mining  and  milling  several  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  ore,  this  com- 
pany sold  to  an  Eng'ish  syndicate  for  one  and  a  half  million  dollars.  The  English  people  operated 
the  property  for  some  years,  but,  although  some  of  the  ore  ran  very  high  in  silver,  the  average 
of  it  was  too  low  grade  to  work,  as  affected  by  the  downward  course  of  silver.  So  they  sold  to 
the  present  owners,  Messrs.  Barker,  'Spencer  &  Co.,  who  realized  $60,000  or  $70,000  profit  by  run- 
ning tailings  through  the  mill.  The  ore  that  has  been  mined  since  then  was  assorted,  and  lots, 
valued  at  from  $100  to  $500  per  ton,  were  shipped  to  Salt  Lake  and  Eureka.  The  character  of 
the  ore  is  free  milling  quartz  and  chloride.  This  is  doubtless  a  great  property,  but  it  has  nowhere 
been  developed  below  100  feet  in  depth.  There  are  several  other  promising  mines  and  prospects 
in   the   district. 

—  44  — 


Bullion  District  is  situated  about  twelve  miles  from  Cortez,  and  contains  a  number  of  very- 
valuable  prospects',  'principally  of  silver-lead  ore,  ore  which  would  be  quite  valuable  if  silver  was 
worth  what  it  used  to  be. 

Cortez  District  is  situated  upon  Mount  Tenabo,  east  of  and  near  the  north  end  of  Toiyabe 
range,  and  about  thirty  miles  south  of  Beowawe.  It  is  there  that  the  first  important  mining 
operations  in  the  County  were  conducted.  It  was  discovered  in  1863.  The  principal  mines — the 
Garrison  and  others,  numbering  upwards  of  sixty  claims — are  principally  owned  by  Simeon 
Wenban,  who,  by  his  indefatigable  energy  and  shrewdness,  has  amassed  a  great  fortune  out  of 
them.  He  was  among  the  discoverers  and  first  locators  of  the  district,  and  in  the  face  of 
numberless  difficulties  stood  by  the  great  property  with  strong  resolution  and  indomitable  will, 
through  many  trying  ordeals,  over  a  period  of  nearly  thirty  years.  Deserved  success  crowned  his 
efiforts  and  made  him  a  millionaire.  These  claims  are  now  incorporated  in  Nevada,  under  the 
styling  of  "The  Tenabo  Mill  and  Mining  Company".  They  are  marked  by  several  miles  of 
bold  croppings,  and  are  combined  in  what  is'  probably  the  greatest  mining  property,  at  this  date, 
in  the  State  of  Nevada.  The  ore  runs  from  a  few  dollars  up  into  the  thousands  per  ton.  The  prin- 
cipal workings  are  approached  by  long  tunnels,  and  but  little  shaft  work  has  so  far  been  needed. 
The  mines  are  nearly  idle  at  present,  it  being  understood  that  Mr.  Wenban  will  not  work  them, 
on  account  of  the  low  price  of  silver.  The  ores  are  treated  by  a  leaching  process,  and  the  plant 
in  use  for  the  purpose  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  appointed  establishments  of  the  kind  in 
the  State. 

Union  District,  situated  about  four  miles  eastward  from  Mineral  Hill,  has  an  abundance  of 
low-grade  silver-lead  ore  and  considerable  of  high-grade.  It,  at  one  time,  bid  fair  for  a  position 
among  the  favored  mining  localities;  but  through  unfortunate  business  management  it  is  practically 
deserted.  Diamond  District,  situated  in  the  Diamond  range,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Eureka, 
is  in  a  similar  position. 

—  45  — 


Hope  District,  situated  twenty-five  miles  north  from  Eureka,  and  about  a  mile  west  of  the 
E.  &  P.  R.  R.,  is  a  mining  region,  the  full  merits  of  which  have  never  been  determined.  Low- 
grade  silver-lead  ore  may  be  found  there  in  great  abundance,  and  high-grade  material  is  also 
encountered.  It  is,  from  a  geological  and  mineralogical  standpoint,  an  interesting  district  where, 
in  addition  to  silver  and  lead,  zinc,  niter  and  other  valuable  minerals  are  found.  It  is  quite 
probable  that  the  ores  of  this,  as  also  those,  of  Union  and  Diamond  Districts,  would  pay  well 
to  concentrate,  but  it  is  not  probable  that  active  steps  will  be  taken  in  any  direction  until  the 
circumstances'  surrounding  them  become   more  favorable. 

A  further  resume  of  Eureka  County  is  hardly  necessary  at  this  writing,  but  should  the 
tide  of  our  national  afifairs  turn  in  the  much-desired  direction  of  the  free  coinage  of  silver, 
Nevada  would  recover  its  former  importance  as  a  nucleus  of  mining  investment,  with  Eureka 
County  as  one  of  the  principal  centers  and  deserving  a  summary  broader  in  its  scope  and 
more  varied  in  detail. 

J.  C.  POWELL, 
Assessor   of    Eureka   County,    Nevada. 


The  foregoing  report  was  published  as  a  part  of  the  biennial  report  of  the   Surveyor-General 
and   State   Land   Registrar  of  the   State   of   Nevada,  for  the  years  1897-8. 


—  46  — 


COPYRIGHT,    ie09,    BY   C.     H.    GORMAN 


The  1200.000  Plant  of  the  Richmond-Eureka  Minmg  Company,  Ruby  Hill,  installed  in  1906 


SUPPLEMENTAL    RECORD 


1 

•  J 

} 

1 

INCE  the  publication  of  the  foregoing  reports  and  tabulated  statement  for  1897-8, 
mining  for  the  precious  metals  in  Eureka  County  has  vastly  improved.  It  is  a 
well-known  fact  that  for  twelve  or  fourteen  years  prior  to  1905,  the  extensive 
properties  of  the  Eureka  Consolidated  and  Richmond  Mining  Companies,  situate 
on  the  great  Ruby  Hill  lode,  were  but  little  worked,  notwithstanding  their  immense 
production  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  past,  and  the  fact  that  but  1100  feet 
had   been   reached  in  the  deepest  shaft  on  the  mines. 

The  practical  shutting  down  of  these  mines  did  infinite  harm,  as  it  had  the 
effect  of  discouraging  prospecting  and  investment  in  the  properties  of  lesser  note, 
and  accounts  in  part  for  the  greatly  reduced  ore  tonnage  between  1892  and  1905. 
Happily  for  the  future  of  mining  enterprise  in  Eureka  County  this  cessation  of  work  is  ^ow  a  thing 
of  the  past.  The  properties  which  produced,  before  1000  feet  of  depth  had  been  reached,  over 
forty  million  dollars,  and  which  include  a  large  number  of  mines  along  the  great  lode,  are 
now  consolidated  and  under  the  able  and  vigorous  exploitation  of  'Superintendent  A.  P.  May- 
berry  and  his  urbane  assistant,  H.  C.  McTerney,  the  output  of  ore  is  only  limited  by  the 
capacity    of   our    narrow-gauge    to    handle    the    same. 

RICHMOND-EUREKA.    EQUIPMENT  AT  PRESENT 

About  the  end  of  1905,  the  Eureka  Con.  and  Richmond  (including  the  Albion)  properties 
were  taken  over  by  the  Richmond-Eureka  Mining  Co.,  and  work  was  immediately  commenced 
to  get  the  mines  in  shape  for  shipping  the  immense  bodies  of  low-grade  ores  left  by  the  old 
companies  as  too  low  for  profit  in  the  earlier  days,  and  to  unwater  and  sink  further  the 
Locan    shaft.     The    Locan    shaft,    or    as    it    is    familiarly  called  the  "New"  shaft,  is  now  equipped 

—  48  — 


COPYHIGHT,     leoe,    BY    C      H.    GORMAN 

Richmoud-Eureka  Mining  Company's  Office  Buildings,  Ruby  Hill 


with  a  1400  H.  P.  Stirling  boiler  plant,  a  30-drill  compressor,  a  large  Norberg  hoist,  pumps,  etc., 
for  unwatering  and  sinking  the  shaft  from  the  present  depth  of  1200  feet  to  a  depth  of  2000 
feet,    with    machine,    blacksmith    and    framing   shops   complete   in   every   detail. 

With  the  buildings  and  other  accessories  it  is  said  the  plant  is  now  the  most  modern  and 
complete  plant  in  the  State.  Before  the  end  of  1906,  the  mines  were  opened  up  in  shape  to 
handle  a  large  output,  and  the  tonnage  has  increased  from  50  tons  per  day,  when  shipping 
was  begun,  to  over  200  tons'  per  day  at  this  date,  with  enough  ore  in  sight  to  ship  a  much 
larger    tonnage    for   many   years. 

THE   WINDFALL  MINES 

.  The  "Windfall"  and  five  other  adjacent  mines  constitute  the  now  well-known  group  of 
claims  which  are  being  watched  with  feverish  anxiety,  and  boundless  hope  by  the  owners  and 
all  who  are  interested  in  the  mining  industry  of  Eureka  County.  The  discovery  of  the 
Windfall,  by  Eugene  Geraty,  dates  back  but  a  few  years.  Situate  some  five  miles'  to  the  south- 
west of  the  town  of  Eureka,  on  what  might  be  called  a  spur  of  Prospect  Mountain,  and  about 
one  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  the  "Diamond"  series  of  mines,  which  have  given  to  the 
world    their   millions,    the    Windfall    series    promise  great  results  in  the  near  future. 

For  forty  years  the  claims  had  been  located  and  re-located  by  prospectors,  but  until  their 
re-location  by  the  present  owners  little  more  than  preliminary  location  work  had  been  done 
on   them. 

Geraty  located  in  with  him  his  brother-in-law,  C.  S.  Greenwood,  and  subsequently  included 
Dan.  Morrison,  as  an  equal  owner.  The  three  are  every-day  miners,  married,  and  with  wives' 
and  babies  in  their  happy  family  circles.  At  the  date  of  the  discovery,  the  triumvirate  were 
working  for  The  Diamond  Co.  for  daily  wages,  and  it  is  said  the  first  discoverer,  Geraty, 
picked  up  the  piece  of  rock  that  led  to  the  taking  up  of  the  claims,  whilst  combining  the  serious 
business    of    prospecting,    with    the    lighter    business    of    sage    hen    hunting,    as    a    relaxation    from 

—  50  — 


COPYRIGHT,    1008.    BY     C.    H.    GORMAN 


Windfall  Mine,  in  October,  litOH,  ^0,000  in  Sacks  on  the  Dump 


his  daily  labor.  That  piece  of  rock  assayed  about  $50  in  gold  and  brought  unenvied  prosperity 
to   the   trio   of   owners. 

For  the  first  two  years  following  the  find  but  desultory  work  was  done  on  the  claims, 
and  mostly  by  Greenwood,  whose  confidence  in  the  ground  never  waivered.  From  the  date 
of  location  in  the  fall  of  1904,  the  owners  from  time  to  time  mined  and  shipped  from  the 
property  about  $30,000  worth  of  ore,  and  in  September,  1908,  bonded  their  interests  to  the 
Windfall    Mining    Co.    for   the    sum   of   $200,000.00,  receiving  a  first  payment  down  of  $25,000. 

The  product  of  the  mines  is  gold,  silver  and  lead,  with  a  high  preponderance  of  gold.  The 
formation  in  which  the  ore  makes  is  lime,  what  is  called,  by  geologists,  "Hamburg"  lime, 
a  character  of  rock  traceable  for  a  distance  of  14  miles  from  beyond  the  Hamburg  mine  to 
the  south,  to  the  end  of  Adams  Hill  on  the  north.  It  is  a  high-grade  ore  averaging  $150.00 
to  the  ton,  with  choice  specimens  running  as  high  as  $25,000.00  to  the  ton.  The  ground  is  being 
worked  through  a  double  compartment  shaft,  at  present  some  350  feet  in  depth,  with  drifts,  winzes 
and  tunnels  as  accessories.  There  is  on  the  property  a  45  horse-power  gasoline  engine  with 
hoisting   works    of    modern    construction    and    capacity. 

The  company  is  preparing  to  sink  the  shaft,  or  a  new  shaft,  some  500  feet  deeper  than 
the  present  lowest  level.  During  the  winter  of  1908,  the  company  began  the  erection  of  a 
reduction  plant  capable  of  treating  150  tons  per  day.  The  mill  has  been  in  continuous  operation 
since  the  fifth  of  June  last,  or  a  little  over  two  months,  and  from  it  has  been  shipped  five  bars 
of  bullion  approximating  the  sum  of  $70,000.  It  is  the  intention  to  increase  the  plant's  capacity 
in  the  near  future  by  50  tons  per  day.  The  plant  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $30,000 
and    is    pronounced    by    experts    a    prime    success  in  the  saving  of  the  precious  metals. 

ADAMS  HILL    . 

No  more  interesting  stretch  of  mining  ground  can  be  found  than  that  which  is  included 
in    Eureka   Mining  District   proper   and   known   as    Adams    Hill.     This    so-called    "Hill",    or    rather 

—  52—      ■ 


COPYRICHT,    ISOe.    BY     C.    H.    GORMAN 


Windfall  (.'yaiiide  Mill,  capacity  165  Tons  per  Day 


series  of  hills,  is  separated  from  Ruby  Hill  and  Prospect  Mountain  by  a  ravine  of  moderate 
dimensions.  Its  highest  elevation  above  sea  level  is  about  6,900  feet.  It  is  composed  chiefly 
of  Hamburg  limestone  with  a  band  of  Secret  Canyon  shale,  from  east  to  west  along  its  southern 
extremity  and  a  belt  of  Hamburg  shale  bordering  the  limestone  to  the  north.  North  of  the 
Hamburg  shale  and  east  of  the  Hamburg  limestone,  Pogonip  limestone  is  exposed.  It  is  need- 
less to  say  that  in  the  limestones  the  ore  makes  as  a  general  proposition.  North  of  the  Hamburg 
shale  in  the  Pogonip  limestone  there  is  an  extensive  outcrop  of  quartz  porphyry.  This  quartz- 
porphyry,  especially  in  the  Bullwhacker  mine,  contains  considerable  quantities  of  gold,  silver  and 
lead,  and  is  surmised  by  some  geologists  to  be  the  main  source  of  the  ore  in  its  immediate 
neighborhood. 

Though  separated  from  the  great  lodes  of  Ruby  Hill,  only  by  a  ravine  of  moderate  size,  the 
character  of  the  ore  in  the  two  localities  in  many  respects  differ.  The  most  marked  difference 
is  the  prevalence  of  quartz  ores  in  many  of  the  mines.  Adams  Hill  ores,  as  a  rule,  carry 
a  high  percentage  of  gold.  Lead,  in  carbonate  and  sulphide  form,  has  been  produced  in  large 
quantities  by  the  Bullwhacker  and  Williamsburg  mines,  the  former  having  to  its  credit,  in 
gold,  silver   and   lead,   an   output   of   over  $2,500,000. 

Adams  Hill  has  been  but  little  exploited,  as  its  many  claims  are  owned  by  poor  men  or 
equally  poor  companies,  who  have  contented  themselves  with  extracting  the  rich  rock  found 
on  or  near  the  surface.  The  deepest  shaft,  that  of  the  Bullwhacker,  does  not  exceed  450  feet. 
A  few  weeks  ago,  what  was  known  as  the  Eraser  interests,  in  several  of  the  claims,  was 
disposed  of  to  J.  S.  McQuillan,  of  Tonopah,  who,  with  his  partner,  C.  F.  Wittenberg,  purpose 
sinking  at  once  a  shaft  to  a  depth  of  500  feet  for  exploration  purposes.  The  Auro,  Cyanide, 
West  Cyanide  and  Western  Union  claims,  their  interests  in  which  Alex.  Fraser  and  wife  sold 
to  McQuillan,  have,  within  a  brief  period,  produced  $90,000.00  with  but  a  force  of  two  men 
scratching  the  ground.  The  last  named  properties  are  believed  to  be  the  "connecting  link" 
between   them   and   the   Silver   Lick,   on   the   west,  and  the  Macon  City,  Lone  Pine,  Morning  Star, 

—  54  — 


— ^'n'^iiiiliiiiiiri  111  III  I'll      1  II  1  -     M             M'      '- 

.  -'-'-^'t^^^^^^^H 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 

COPYRIGHT,    180e,    BY     C.    H.    GORMAN 


Holly,  looking  South,  showing  Ruby  Hill  in  the  Distance 


Fraser   and   Molino,   Marguerite,   Wide   West,   May  Lode,  Altoona,  Barton,  Oriental  and  Belmont, 
Bowman,    Democrat    and    other    claims    to    the    east,  all  of  them  more  or  less  ore  producers. 
One    of    the    most    promising    claims    on    Adams   Hill  is   the   Holly  mine. 

THE  HOLLY  MINE 

This  mine,  which  was  formerly  known  as  "The  Idaho",  produced  by  tributing  in  the  early 
days,  $41,000.00.  Owing  to  the  depth  attained,  200  feet,  and  the  lack  of  machinery,  work  was 
discontinued.  In  1907  this  property  was  purchased  by  the  Nevada  Development  and  Mining 
Company.  Work  was  commenced  rehabilitating  this  property  in  July,  1908,  since  which  a 
complete  set  of  buildings  has  been  erected,  consisting  of  Superintendent's  residence,  bunk  house, 
boarding-house,  office,  change  room,  stable,  shop,  power-house  and  powder-house.  The  power- 
house contains  what  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  best  gasoline  equipments  in  the  State  of 
Nevada,  comprising  one  60  h.  p.  F.  M.  engine,  one  25  h.  p.  F.  M.  hoist,  one  two-drill  F.  M. 
compressor,  one  six-drill  Ingersoll  compressor,  one  4  h.  p.  F.  M.  special  electric  engine,  one  50 
light  dynamo. 

The  shaft  has  been  carried  to  a  depth  of  425  feet.  There  has  been  developed  in  the  past 
j'ear,  50,000  tons  of  milling  ore,  which  is  awaiting  the  erection  of  a  mill  for  treatment.  Exten- 
sive tests  are  now  being  made  to  determine  the  best  method  of  recovery.  This  company  owns 
a  350-acre  ranch  on  which  ample  water  rights  are  situated  for  the  operation  of  a  300-ton 
concentrating  mill.  They  also  own  the  "Queen  Annie",  a  copper  prospect  located  in  the 
Hobson  District  and  comprising  five  claims.  The  Holly  mine  is  located  two  miles  and  the 
Holly  ranch   four  miles   from   Eureka.     Values  are  gold,  silver  and  lead,  lead  predominating. 

SAFFORD  DISTRICT 

Located   at    Palisade,    has    a    mineralized   area    of  about   70  square   miles.     There  has   been   taken 
out    of    this    district    about    $500,000.00    in    minerals.     No     systematic     mining     has     been     done 

—  56  — 


COPYRIGHT,    ie09,    BY   C      H.    GORMAN 

Holly  Shaft  House.    One  of  the  most  complete  gasoline  plants  in  Nevada 


except  by  the  West  Mining  Co.,  which  is  shipping  fifty  tons  of  fluxing  ores  per  day.  The 
ores  in  this  district  are  lead,  silver,  gold  and  iron.  Silver  and  lead  predominate.  One  car 
of  ore  taken  from  the  Zenoli  Mine,  at  a  depth  of  90  feet,  netted  $7,000.00.  The  ore  taken  from 
lesser    depths    by    leasers    goes    about    $59.00    net  per  ton. 

MINERAL  HILL  DISTRICT 

Located  five  and  one-quarter  miles  east  of  Mineral  Hill  on  the  E.  &  P.  Railway.  The  miner- 
alized area  of  this  camp  is  about  two  miles  long  by  3500  feet  wide.  There  has  been  mined 
abo.ut  $7,000,000.00.  Mineral  was  discovered  in  this  camp  in  1869.  Mining  and  milling  were  carried 
on  continuously  until  1890;  most  of  the  work  has  been  tunnel  work,  the  deepest  shaft  being  two 
hundred  feet  in  depth.  Longest  tunnel  is  750  feet.  Most  of  the  work,  with  the  two  exceptions 
above  noted,  has  been  practically  surface  work.  There  is  but  one  company  operating  in  this 
district  at  present,  i.  e..  The  Big  Three  Mining  Company,  which  has  been  operating  here  about 
two  months  on  a  bond  and  lease.  The  Mineral  Hill  Consolidated  Mining  Company,  who  own 
the  best  properties  in  this  camp,  have  not  operated  their  mines  or  mills  for  eighteen  years, 
except    by    tributers.     The    character    of    the    ores  are  lead,  gold  and  silver,  silver  predominating. 

ANTELOPE    DISTRICT 

Located  three  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Ceder  Switch  on  the  E.  &  P.  Railway.  Little  work 
has  been  done  in  this  district  to  the  present  excepting  assessment  work  on  locations.  The 
Nevada  Central  Copper  Company  has  recently  installed  a  complete  power  prospecting  and  devel- 
oping outfit  on  their  ground,  consisting  of  21  claims,  and  it  is  the  intention  of  the  management 
of  this  company  to  develop  their  property  in  a  systematic  manner.  They  already  have  an  incline 
down  185  feet.  They  also  have  a  double  compartment  shaft  down  about  100  feet.  The  miner- 
alized area  of  the  copper  belt  of  the  Antelope  District  is  nine  miles  long  and  3000  feet  wide. 
Character   of   ore   is   a    carbonate,    carrying   silver,  gold  and  copper,  copper  predominating. 

—  58  — 


CORTEZ  MINING  DISTRICT 

Located  35  miles  from  Beowawe.  The  Garrison  mine,  located  in  this  district,  has  produced 
in  its  day  about  $9,000,000.00.  Ore  was  worked  by  the  "Hypo-Sulphite"  process.  The  Garri- 
son mine  was  closed  in  1904.  There  is  still  abundance  of  low-grade  ore  left  in  this  property, 
but  the  method  used  in  extracting  values  from  the  ore  proved  too  expensive,  which  was  the 
direct  cause  of  suspension  of  work.  There  is  estimated  to  be  15  miles  of  underground  workings 
in  this  mine.  Property  consists  of  thirty-three  patented  and  nine  location  claims,  and  is  owned  by 
the  Wenban  Estate.  Values  are  lead  and  silver,  high  in  silver.  At  present,  the  Cortez  Metals 
Recovery  Company  is  working  over  the  Garrison  Mill  dump  with  a  100-ton  cyanide  plant. 
Mill  Canyon,  located  in  this  district,  has  several  minor  companies  operating.  As  this  article 
is  being  written,  a  new  company  has  acquired,  and  is  acquiring,  several  of  the  minor  companies, 
with  the  intention  of  consolidating  and  carrying  the  work  on  a  much  larger  scale  than  hereto- 
fore. Already  a  town  has  been  platted,  and  quite  a  boom  is  being  experienced.  The  Shultes 
Brothers  own  a  property  at  this  camp  consisting  of  four  full  claims,  from  which  they  have 
shipped  ore  of  the  value  of  $25,000.00. 

RAILROAD  MINING  DISTRICT 

Located  east  of  the  Raines  ranch  near  Palisade.  A  great  deal  of  prospecting  has  been 
done  in  this  district,  but  mining  has  not  been  carried  on  to  any  extent.  Very  good  values  have 
been  found  in  prospecting.  In  this  district  is  an  undeveloped  asbestos  property,  also  an  unde- 
veloped asphaltum   property. 

HOBSON  DISTRICT 

This  district  is  located  five  miles  east  of  Oak  on  the  E.  &  P.  Railway,  and  never  has  been 
developed.  Considerable  prospecting  and  assessment  work  has  been  done,  and  some  very  fine 
copper  showings  disclosed,  copper  ore  having  been  found  which  assayed  as  high  as  43  per 
cent,  copper. 

—  59  — 


ROBERTS  DISTRICT 

Located  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Mineral  Hill  Station  on  the  E.  &  P.  Railway.  The  Key- 
stone mine,  located  in  this  district,  was  discovered  in  the  early  70's  but  was  never  worked 
systematically.  2000  feet  of  tunnel  have  been  run  on  this  property,  and  a  shaft  150  feet  in 
depth  has  been  sunk.  This  property  consists  of  nine  claims  of  which  two  are  patented.  There 
is  a  good  mining  equipment  at  this  mine,  consisting  of  a  steam  plant,  electric  light  plant,  air 
drills,  compressor,  etc.  No  mining  has  been  done  here  for  many  years,  though  the  machinery 
was   installed    early  in    1907.     This   property   is   owned  by  E.  D.  Walti 

Fletcher  and  Jamison  own  a  very  promising  zinc  prospect  in  this  district  from  which  sev- 
eral shipments  of  zinc  ore  have  been  made.  This  zinc  property  is  located  nine  miles  west  of 
Alpha  on  the  E.  &  P.  Railway. 

ORE  PRODUCTION  FROM  DECEMBER,  1897,    TO  JUNE.  1909 

By  order  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners  of  Eureka  County,  Mr.  H.  C.  McTerney, 
the  County  Assessor,  has  furnished  from  his  record  books  the  following  summary  of  the  ore 
production  of  the  County,  given  him  as  provided  by  law,  between  December,  1897,  and  June 
1909. 

Gross    yield,   478,472   tons. 

Gross    value    of   ore,    $4,205,160.20. 

This  sum  is  less  the  cost  of  transportation,  from  the  mines  to  the  Salt  Lake  Smelters,  as  well 
as  the  cost  of  smelting,  all  of  which  until  the  last  two  3'^ears  was  onerous  in  the  extreme 
and  practically  prohibited  the  mining  and  working  of  rock  at  a  profit  which  did  not  assay  at 
least  $18  per  ton. 

The    charges    of   transportation    and    reduction  are  now,  happily,  more  moderate. 

—  60  — 


Improved  machinery,  more  reasonable  transportation  and  reduction  charges,  the  invention 
and  discovery  of  more  economical  processes,  for  the  extraction  and  saving  of  the  precious  metals, 
new  discoveries  of  valuable  ore  deposits,  and  returned  confidence,  have  lifted  us  out  of  the 
"slough  of  despond",  and  at  this  writing  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  within  the  mighty  mineral 
domain  of  Uncle  Sam,  mining  districts'  of  brighter  prospects  than  those  to  be  found  within 
the     boundary    lines     of    the     County    of     Eureka,  State  of  Nevada. 

For  further  information   regarding  the   resources    of    Eureka    County,    address    the    following 

(  JOHN   HANCOCK,  SR., 
Correspondence    Committee  i  ED.    A.   SKILLMAN, 

(  A.   S.   HENDERSON. 


61  - 


THIS   BOOKLET  WAS    EXECUTED    BY 

THE   NEVADA    PRESS   CO.,    INC. 

CARSON    CITY,    NEVADA 


5 


080  3 


